Chapter 37

[Homelander's POV]

A sunny day, with fresh air and dense forest all around.

The best part was that no curious person was in sight. I had chosen the most remote location to avoid such interruptions.

It also made it harder for anyone to spy on Becca and Ryan, but I wasn't worried about myself.

I can spot bugs and surveillance devices from miles away if I look for them and keep close surveillance on my territory.

"You've gotten faster."

I dodged the long claws, protecting my beautiful eyes from being gouged out.

"But not fast enough yet."

However, I couldn't let such a dangerous trick go unanswered. So I grabbed her arm and tossed her over my shoulder.

To my surprise, she not only landed on her feet but also twisted in such a way that she managed to kick me in the head.

Since Becca was in an awkward position, this move caught me off guard, and I let go of her arm.

She took advantage of the pause and ran, trying to escape from me.

A smile tugged at my lips—she had never succeeded before, and that was without me using my X-ray vision.

I ran after her, matching her pace to keep her on edge, even slightly faster.

When I was about to catch up, Rebecca turned left, momentarily disappearing behind a thick tree.

I couldn't pass up such an opportunity, so I went to intercept her, aiming to appear right in front of her.

However, she didn't come out from there which surprised me again.

What really shocked me was Becky's strong kick that hit me in the chest, pushed me back, and dragged me along the wet ground slightly.

I didn't have time to get up before she was already on top of me, merely simulating a claw strike.

She knew they couldn't hurt me, but this showed her instincts were under control.

She didn't hold back very often.

"I... won."

She declared, breathing heavily and not hurrying to get up from the defeated opponent.

"I acknowledge my defeat."

I smiled my brightest smile, raising my hands in surrender.

"Shut up."

She smiled back, leaning down to give me a gentle kiss. Unfortunately, it was too quick, with our lips barely touching to savor it fully.

"Are you going to keep me starving?"

I snorted, watching as she gracefully got off me.

"Dinner will be in a couple of hours. We're having meatballs in sauce today."

She replied as if nothing had happened, adjusting her clothes and shaking off the dirt.

She even turned away, hiding her face and not noticing I was behind her.

"You know what I mean."

I placed my hands on her shoulders, making her shiver but then relax as I began to slowly massage them.

A soft moan escaped her lips, causing all my being to thrill.

How I wished to hear that sound more often, louder, and in the bedroom.

"You mentioned something about Ryan's training."

She awkwardly tried to change the subject.

"Yes, I want to teach him how to fly."

"Isn't that dangerous? Are you sure he's ready?"

She turned to me with worry, which made me pause for a few seconds.

In moments like this, she becomes much more attractive than when she's writhing her body in battle.

"John?"

"He'll manage. I had already broken the sound barrier at his age, so everything would be fine."

I reassured her while smirking.

"If you want, you can be present during the training. However, you won't see much if we're already in the air today."

"Ryan is afraid of heights."

Becca warned.

"Just don't start from too high up."

"How do you imagine that? What if he doesn't manage to take off in time and hits the ground? You'll be the first to run to him, even though his skin can already stop bullets."

"And what do you suggest? Fly up to bird level and just drop him into free fall?"

Becca asked fiercely, her claws extending out of worry without her even noticing.

"That's exactly what I suggest."

I shrugged, watching the shocked look on her face.

"You know how cats, dogs, and even humans learn to swim? In moments of danger, their instincts tell them what to do. It's the same with flying. He's ready. He was ready a year ago. It's in his blood. You'll see, soon you'll be running after him, yelling at him not to fly around the house."

"I don't yell at him."

She responded with a frown and sighed.

"Just promise you'll watch over him."

"I promise."

With that, the conversation ended, and we hurried back to the house where Ryan was patiently and even curiously doing his homework.

He's a smart kid and dynamic too.

I suspect the former didn't come without my genes, granting him an almost perfect memory.

It's intriguing to think what might have been if such a person were also interested in science.

Ryan hadn't noticed that, but he was interested in superheroes. He seemed to like the Seven, but it was unclear about the others.

When we entered the house, he was distracted from his activity. Becca called him into the living room and sat her son on the couch.

Ryan looked at us with questioning eyes, waiting for an explanation.

"Ryan, I... I mean, we have something to tell you."

"Okay?"

Ryan asked uncertainly, looking at his mother.

I only smiled and winked at him when his eyes turned to me. Ryan gave her an uncertain smile and tried to calm down.

"I think it's time to reveal to you whose son you are."

I smiled gently at my son and took off my glasses.

"I'm Homelander."

"Where's the costume?"

Ryan said after just a couple of seconds.

It was already clear from his eyes that he knew everything and that mischievous smile.

He knew and kept silent all this time.

Nevertheless, it should be understood that my glasses didn't come from a certain Kryptonian so I could fool everyone.

While passersby might not notice and walk by, a highly perceptive boy would quickly notice the resemblance between his father and the most famous superhero in the world.

We then left the house and headed to the prepared spot.

The clearing in the middle of the forest looked slightly out of place, perhaps due to the almost invisible pits that hadn't yet overgrown with grass.

There were enough of them to understand that quite a few sizable trees existed.

I had spent nearly an hour clearing this area.

"We'll start here."

"What should I do?"

Ryan looked around the place where we had arrived.

"You're going to fly."

"But I don't know how."

"You'll learn, and quickly too."

I easily picked up my son in my arms.

"Just be careful."

I nodded at the concerned Becca's words.

However, Ryan seemed extremely worried about his situation, having no idea what was happening.

I smirked and lightly pushed off the ground with my feet before smoothly ascending into the sky.

Ryan stared wide-eyed as Becca's figure grew smaller with each passing second.

He tensed up, feeling us slightly accelerate, and continued to do so.

Ryan's eyes were filled with fear instead of joy, and he wouldn't let go of my hand.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Are we going to come down now?"

"Of course. Very soon."

Slowly but surely, we approached the level of the clouds and soon reached it, stopping at that height.

"Really?"

A quiet voice, almost a whisper, sounded near my ear.

"Really."

Ryan's light body was easy for my hands to push, and he watched in shock as he quickly fell into the clouds and further down.

I could only imagine what he was feeling at that moment, as I coldly watched his fall to the ground.

Then, I let myself go, allowing gravity to take over.

I also plunged into the clouds, soon reaching the level of the screaming Ryan.

It might not have been the best idea to start from such a height.

Unfortunately, it was too late to change my mind.

"How are you doing?"

This nonchalant question definitely caught him off guard, and he even stopped screaming.

Ryan was seemingly unsure if I was mocking him or asking seriously with those same wide eyes.

"You dropped me!"

Ryan's eyes even lit up with anger and injustice, showing his genuine feelings.

"Yes."

I nodded with a sly smile on my lips.

Anger is much better than fear and panic especially when falling from a great height.

I learned that his super-hearing was still intact because he could hear me clearly.

That's good. We'll need to work on that too.

Ryan didn't know what to say to my calm response.

"Calmed down? Now listen carefully if you want to learn how to fly."

I flew closer to him and flipped him so that he was lying on his stomach.

Ryan squinted to protect his eyes from the wind hitting his face.

It's almost impossible to harm our eyes unless we try to ourselves.

"Listen to my voice, Ryan. Focus on it and do exactly as I say."

He nodded, still afraid to open his eyes.

"Relax. Breathe deeply. Feel the air, feel the wind hitting your face. Feel it in your gut, trust your instincts. Fly!"

The soothing and confident voice had an effect on him that I hadn't quite expected.

Ryan really pushed off and literally soared forward and upward, gaining speed. He definitely had a talent for this.

I quickly caught up with him, flying alongside him.

"Open your eyes. See what you're capable of."

I quietly whispered, and he opened his eyes when he saw the incredible view before him.

The majestic scene of clouds covering the sky. Ryan couldn't see clearly before because his perception was clouded. 

But now, he could view his surroundings clearly, and he liked it.

"I'm flying... I'm flying, Dad!"

Ryan shouted with excitement, thrusting his hands forward.

That's when he fell down with a smile on his face. His attitude toward such a dangerous fall had changed totally by his light-hearted recklessness. 

With a chuckle at his antics, I followed him down.

"Mom, look!"

Becca watched in a daze as her son spun around her, soaring and performing pirouettes in the air.

Meanwhile, I landed beside her, also observing our son.

Ryan's behavior strangely reminded me of young birds just leaving the nest and experiencing a taste of freedom.

There was something mesmerizing about it, like a child's first steps.

...

[3rd POV]

The young woman entered her room confidently and let out a quiet sigh once the door was closed.

She looked all over the large, bright flat. The furnishings were all arranged in her favorite color, gold.

She liked how everything was arranged, but there needed to be some moderation.

She would have preferred less gold and more warm styles to feel more at home, rather than under the spotlight.

She walked over to the vanity with a mirror and lighting and sat down, adjusting her golden hair.

She carefully removed the hairpiece, leaving only the shorter, slightly flattened hair of the same color on her head.

They were not as full and long, which was why she had to wear a wig.

The next ten minutes were spent washing off all the makeup that had become like a second skin to her.

Afterward, she went to bed and, sitting down, removed her high-heeled boots.

A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips as she removed the least favorite part of her superhero wardrobe.

She fell backward onto the bed with a deep breath, finally relaxing.

This was not how she had imagined the life of the number one hero.

She reached for her phone instinctively, turned it on, and unlocked the screen as usual. 

She noticed immediately when she got messages with links to videos that more and more people were on her page accusing her of being a fraud.

This made her wary and prompted her to quickly click on the video to find out what was happening.

"What the..."

Annie mumbled, barely stopping herself from swearing.

"Compound V?"

...

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